We help pilot’s to achieve their career goals.   PilotCareerCentre's Professional Pilot Services accommodate all levels of experience from the newly licenced commercial pilot to a highly experienced wide-body Airline Captain. Our business is specialized – we help Pilots move forward in their careers. That’s all we do. Our Pilot Resume Design Service, Effective Cover Letter Design, Company Specific Interview Prep, etc. will benefit any individual who is planning a career as a Professional Pilot.

We hear this a lot. Securing that first flying job can be difficult – sometimes even demoralizing. We believe that attention to detail in your paperwork (see our Pilot Resume Design & Effective Cover Letter Service), a positive attitude, along with regular road-trips can make a big difference. For example, does your resume effectively market you in our unique aviation industry? Resumes designed by generic Resume Firms or those designed 'standard business style' do not effectively market pilots. How did you design your aviation resume? Also, do you contact Chief Pilots prior to your visits with a professional yet brief cover letter? If not, we highly recommend it. A Chief Pilot would rather talk with someone he/she is expecting than one who arrives unannounced. Another suggestion would be to target a select number of companies and try to establish a professional rapport with them. A ramp or fueling job is an excellent way to acquire a good reputation within the industry. A common mistake is to mail resumes to every company, and then expect one of them to call you without ever meeting you in person. Go on a road trip and meet some people - ensure that you follow up your mailed resumes with a personal visit. Lastly, if you have a lead, a connection or a unique opportunity, make the best of it. If a prospective employer hints that they will be hiring soon, it is worth your while to pay them a visit. Make mention that you are interested in working hard on the ramp in a non-flying capacity until a position becomes available.

A tough decision, but one that we cannot make for you – definitely a personal decision. Having said that, we encourage our clients to go with the sure thing – the actual job offer. If someone offers you a job that you interviewed for, take the opportunity. If for some reason you are unsuccessful at the other interview, you still have a good job. Take the job, and attend the subsequent interview if you so desire. If you are lucky enough to receive a second job offer, you now have options. By saying ‘no’ to the company that offered you the initial job, and then failing with the second company, you end up without an airline job and very few options.

An Instructor Rating is an excellent career and an important part of aviation.  Many current airline pilots have started out flight instructing.  In fact, Airline Check Pilots (Instructors) are often part of the interview panel. The airlines view an instructional background as good experience. We recommend that if you are going to go with the instructor route to get to the airlines, it is beneficial to work at a flight school that provides Multi-Engine IFR Instrument Training.  Basically - Get into the IFR/IR department, since this is the area of Flight Instruction that will score the most points for you with respect to landing an airline job.  Airlines normally require additional experience as well such as Two-Crew Multi-Engine Turbine time.  An ideal candidate for the airlines might have Multi-Engine IFR Instructing experience, along with Two-Crew Multi-Engine Turbine time – flying cargo, charters, medevacs etc."

The industry is currently experiencing a significant amount of growth with some companies like Westjet, Easyjet, Ryanair, Emirates, jetBlue, and all of the Regional Jet Operators in the US. Generally the major airlines, especially in North America, and those who depend upon North Atlantic US traffic, are in a major slump as revenues are way down. On a positive note though, these major airlines are coming up on an unprecedented level of attrition due to retirements over the next 8 - 10 years. Air Canada’s retirements will peak over the next eight years - reaching an astounding 270 retirements in 2007 alone. In the next seven years there will be over 850 retirements. The Canadian Industry does not have the extreme shortage that you see in Europe and the USA. However, with a global pilot shortage, the growth of air travel, and the impending pilot retirements, there will be many opportunities for pilots for years to come all over the world.

In-depth aviation recruitment research, advanced Microsoft Word Training, and professional interview experience has enabled PilotCareerCentre to create The Ultimate CV/Resume for pilots. Our resumes are targeted specifically for aviation recruitment personnel and stand out due to a highly professional look and effective layout of industry-specific information. We guarantee you will be satisfied with our resume format. See our Pilot Resume Design section.

Many generic business resume and marketing publications promote their own resume styles. Aviation is a much more unique industry. We recommend that aviation resumes be 1 Page in length. Recruitment personnel will not take the time to sift through 3-pages of information. Anything that is not listed on the first page will most likely be overlooked. Pilots often complain that it is impossible to include all of their information on one page. However, our professional resume format can accommodate a great deal of information. Contact PilotCareerCentre today for a resume overhaul. Go to our Pilot Resume Design section.

It is very important to design and format your resume in a way that will allow recruitment personnel to easily access your qualifications & information. The most common word processing software is MS Word. If an airline receives your resume electronically and cannot open it because it is in a format that is not compatible with their computer, they probably won’t take the time to alert you of this problem. Avoid the confusion and hassle by using a system that is widely used - MS Word.

The use of the internet by airlines to accept resumes online is increasing every day. Companies such as Easyjet in the UK, and Emirates in Dubai have their own online application form. We are seeing more charters and airlines (WestJet) in Canada asking pilots to apply online. These companies prefer MS Word.

TIP: When working on your MS Word resume, make sure you title your document with your name instead of the more common method using words like ‘Resume2001’ etc., etc. The reason is that computer users often place their received documents onto the desktop computer page to be opened later. If your resume is titled Resume2001 or something of that nature, it may be lost in the mix, and they may not know whom the document is from days later when they want to review your resume. A ‘SmithJohn.doc’ would be much more effective. If either of your first or last names is very long, shorten it a little to something like FonzA.doc or ArthurF.doc for Arthur Fonzarelli.

The importance of your resume cannot be over emphasized. We recommend always having a few copies of your resume on hand. Aviation is a unique, small industry, and it is amazing how many jobs are found away from the airports. You never know when or where you will get an unexpected opportunity. Having your resume on hand at all times can help you to move forward in your career. The PilotCareerCentre Team can attest to getting further in our careers due to always having a resume on hand.

In regard to posting it on the internet, ...there are many websites that will post your resume online for free - go ahead.  Others charge pilots a monthly fee - which in our opinion is a complete rip-off of pilots for no employer will look up your Resume/CV on a website.  Our industry has not reached any type of pilot shortage of the extent where companies will come searching for pilots (on the internet or anywhere else). You still must apply and then find the work yourself – it won’t find you! Never depend on the internet & your online resume to find you work. Get out there and regularly apply with 1 page paper resumes, faxes, application forms, road trips, and personal visits.

It is important to use a high quality bond paper that is conservative in color and business like. Resume paper is available in the stationary section of a number of stores. Spend the extra couple of dollars to print your information out on this material. Do not use any bright/colorful paper or design paper, such as that with clouds on it. You want to create and maintain an image of professionalism when applying for a position. A bright color with designs does not create that image. Nor does a resume printed out on standard printer paper.

Use the same color, style, and quality of paper for both your cover letters and resumes. See the last question and our suggestions.

Absolutely. Attention to detail, and establishing a professional image come to mind. It is very important to include a professional cover letter with every resume that you send.

TIP: Addressing a resume and cover letter to a title or even ‘To whom it may concern’ is a common mistake that applicants make when distributing their resumes. They send out a very generic cover letter addressed to a title (Attention: Chief Pilot) as opposed to a specific individual. If you have made this mistake it probably explains why you haven’t received any response to your applications. It is essential that you send your resume to the proper person for the respective company and furthermore to properly spell their name and credentials. The contact information for applying at specific airlines and charter companies is available for free in the Air Carrier Directory section of our website.

TIP: Pilots always have their address on their resume but hardly ever their email address. In this day and age, the most important piece of contact info is your telephone numbers followed closely by your email address. Be sure to separate them from your street address - that way they will be easier to locate.

First of all, always respect the people who can help to make your career – a small but important point, be sure to capitalize the first letters of each word in someone’s title. The words ‘chief pilot’ should always be typed as ‘Chief Pilot’. In regards to the actual question, we keep our Job Contacts database up to date – so be sure to use this free service.

TIP: Never send out a resume to: ‘The Chief Pilot’, or ‘To Whom it may concern’. Use our website, and do your research before applying. Attention to detail is important!

It is important to apply to these carriers when they are in need of a pilot. If you can get any inside information regarding pilots moving on, or a spring hiring season, maybe a planned expansion, use it to your advantage. Most importantly, follow your resume into their offices with a personal visit. If someone helps you out by taking you in to personally meet the Chief Pilot, fantastic. If not, make a note on your cover letter of the day and time you plan to arrive at their hangar, and that you hope they can spare 5 minutes to talk to you. Now when you arrive, they hopefully will be expecting you. When you introduce yourself, they’ll know who you are and may have even liked your resume. For more info on professional resumes, see our Resume section.

Education is extremely valuable and a university degree is always an asset. However, considering the current job market and the impending retirements at the top of the industry, it may beneficial to secure a job (ramp position, instructing, right seat etc.) as soon as possible!  Establish a professional reputation somewhere and start logging time if possible. Remember that the airlines in Canada/UK/Africa/Australia and most LowFare Airlines in the USA do not have a degree requirement; they will however have a minimum requirement with respect to flight hours. With this in mind, the four years you spend getting your degree could been used to log valuable flying time that would qualify you for an airline interview. On the other side of the coin, the american major airlines do have a University Degree requirement - but most are in a furlough situation at this time anyway.

Making the best of that Ramp Position opportunity may be the best, and perhaps the only chance you’ll get to break into this industry. Securing this job with a good attitude will allow you to develop a hard-working, professional reputation. Now your boss can recommend you as a good worker to his pilot friends. He may be an operator himself, and might like to see a person’s work ethic prior to letting them fly one of his $500,000 machines. Get into the industry. Once you’re in, you’re in. A ramp position is an excellent opportunity for you.

In fact, many our successful Airline Interview Prep clients have had ramp positions listed as their first jobs on their resumes. This actually scores them points for having paid their dues through good, honest work at the start of their careers. An additional benefit is all of the aviation people you will meet in this position –could pay off in spades in the future.

You should consider using our Charter Interview Prep services or perhaps attending one of the Pilot Interview Seminars. Our Professional Instructors will give you the tools you need to be successful in this competitive job market. You will learn how to handle the tough interview questions and how/what to study for the interview. Not only are the charter carriers covered, insight is provided into airline recruiting as well. This one-day seminar will give you skills that you can use to shape your professional pilot career for years to come.

Also, Pilot Career Centre provides a professional First Job & Charter Operator Interview Prep service – either in person or over the telephone. For more information, see our Interview Prep section.

Again, our free Air Carrier Directory within the JOBS INFO section lists all of the Chief Pilots, Recruitment Personnel, how to apply, addresses, fax numbers, emails, online applications, etc. to the world airlines, corporate jobs, and charter companies. Look up various carriers and you will see how to apply to Cathay, about WestJet's Online Application, EasyJets Cadet Pilot Scheme, etc.

Our JOBS INFO section is a great resource for pilots applying around the world - our massive Air Carrier Directory (over 1000 carriers listed) gets bigger and more extensive by the day - Here you will be able to research worldwide pilot recruitment information and insight 24 hours a day. Check it out today - it is amazing and one-of-a-kind!

It is extremely important to establish an application history with the airlines. Many of the large airlines have a computerized application tracking system. With that in mind, it is important to start applying at an early stage and continue to do so right up until you are hired. You should send in an update once every six months or earlier if you have a significant change in your qualifications. You can, however apply too often. You should not apply more than three times in a twelve-month period.

TIP: Keep an organized file or a binder full of your application history with each airline. It will keep you organized and enable you to apply at consistent intervals. It will also provide you a basis for follow up phone calls – ie: "I sent in my application and resume on November the 5^th, just wanted to ensure that you received it."

TIP: If you have a friend that works for that airline, preferably a pilot in good standing, have them walk in your resume to the head of recruitment. This may help get your resume to the top of the interview pile.  Note: Never depend on this method – ensure you mail in your resume as well.

Yes. The first thing we recommend is to photocopy the form a number of times. Now you can use the copies to complete a practice application form. Once satisfied, fill in the real one - be as neat as possible! If your application is neat, then not only will they will be able to read it, but they may believe your future paperwork as one of their pilots will be that neat as well. Points scored.

Some international carriers such as Cathay Pacific ask for a passport size photograph. Do not use your extra passport photos from six months ago. In this case, iron your best white shirt, look the best you can, perfectly tie your dark tie, and go out and get a great photo done. Dress and look like a professional pilot. If you’re not happy with the photo, go back and spend another 8 dollars until you’re happy.

We recommend that you always use a brief cover letter when corresponding with the airlines. We also believe that you should always re-send your updated resume alongside your completed application forms. It allows the recruitment personnel the opportunity to both place them together in your file, and also get a more personalized feel for your experience level and qualifications. If you have an excellent 1-Page resume, they will take note of it. See our Resume section for more info.

A common misconception is that the airlines only want to hire young pilots. The corporate belief used to be that the more years an airline could get out of a pilot the better. Things have changed; now airlines around the world want to avoid the massive retirement levels they are experiencing now and over the next ten years.  How can they do that?  By hiring pilots of various ages.  Before September 11th,2001, United Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways etc. hired many pilots in their late 30's. In the late 1990's Air Canada consistently hired pilots with ages ranging from 23 to 53. Canadian airlines Westjet and Air Transat have a hiring minimum of over 4000 hours. Often the only pilots that meet those experience levels are over 35 years of age. Some airlines regard pilot applicants in the 40 – 50 age as stable; believing that these candidates won’t be as likely to apply to other carriers after finishing their initial training. 10 years of service is better than six months.

It is extremely important to apply to a number of airlines. If you limit yourself to just one company, you may not get an interview, or even worse, they may elect to not hire you after interviewing with them. The Right Approach recommends applying to and interviewing at more than one airline. If you receive an offer of employment you can always turn it down. The interview experience gained at each and every interview is invaluable. We often have people come to us looking for help after being turned down from their dream airline. These same people often have not applied to any other companies. As a result, they may have a problem explaining to these other airlines why/how they truly want to work there when they’ve only applied once – and that’s if they’re fortunate enough to get an interview.

Apply everywhere. Working conditions and contracts across our airline industry have improved a great deal in the last five years.  Charter Airlines and LowFare Airlines like EasyJet, Ryanair, jetBlue, or Canadian carriers such as Skyservice, Air Transat, WestJet, etc. are fantastic places for pilots to have careers.  Fractional Companies such as NetJets and Execujet are great carriers as well.

We have heard this complaint a number of times. Start off with your resume. Is it effectively marketing you to the best of its ability? Is your resume highly formatted and as professional as it can be? How about your application history? Have you been applying on a consistent basis? Do you meet their minimum qualifications? Is the airline currently recruiting? If you answered ‘Yes’ to all of these questions you are very likely close to obtaining an interview. It may be worth contacting The Right Approach for some tips and unbiased feedback on your situation.

The airline will tell you what they expect you to bring. If they don’t, it is probably an oversight on their part – call them and verify what you need to bring. Standard things include your Pilot Licence Documents (Licence, Medical, Radio Licence, and Dangerous Goods Training Card if you have one), your logbook, 5 copies of your resume, and any reference letters you may have.

TIP: How is your logbook? Is it very neat, professional, up-to-date, and certified? It should be. Many clients of ours have gone back and completely re-done their logbooks prior to their interviews to ensure neatness and accuracy. One note of caution; you must get all of your times certified all over again if you re-do the entire logbook. Remember that a neat & professional logbook will indicate that your paperwork at the airline will be of the same high standard - points scored!

It is absolutely critical to know your audience, specifically the airline you are interviewing with. A great deal of research should go into the company prior to the interview. The company website generally provides some valuable information about the airline. Unfortunately almost every candidate will have done the same thing. Therefore it is very important to know a great deal more about the company.  Pilot Career Centre's Interview Prep service will provide you with the proper information that will give you the competitive edge in this challenging recruitment market.

No. Although the various airline-recruiting processes appear to be similar, each airline is unique. Each airline has it’s own corporate culture and looks for different qualities in their pilot candidates. It is extremely important to know the airline and understand what they are looking for in their recruiting process. A response to a simple question at one airline may be markedly different than a response at another airline.  Pilot Career Centre specializes in preparing you for the airline-specific interview process.

Books can provide valuable information into the interview process and standard interview questions. Unfortunately, we have found that the minute the book is printed, it is outdated. That is one of the reasons we designed our website, and business for that matter, in the way we did. Our information is updated all of the time. Our Interview Prep service is constantly evolving and therefore always up to date with the various hiring processes. Interview questions are constantly changing. Books are therefore unable to meet this demand on a timely basis. At The Right Approach we pride ourselves on our ability to stay current with the industry hiring practices.

In our opinion, female pilots should wear professional, conservative business-like attire. With respect to females with long hair, we believe you should wear you hair up in a bun. Go to a major airport and you will often see female airline pilots with their hair up in this manner. The airlines have strict policies with respect to hair and personal image. When attending an interview, it is important that you meet these requirements. Remember when you are attending the interview, the recruitment personnel are looking at you to see if you fit in with their airline. You certainly would not want to be over looked for your dream job because you did not meet their dress and deportment standard.

While dealing with the airline or corporate flight dept., remember that they are looking closely at you to see if you will fit into their operation.  If they are looking at you with this strategy, why not look as if you already work for their company? With this in mind, if their pilot uniform is dark blue, The Right Approach recommends wearing a dark blue suit. Do not, however wear a uniform or pilot shirt with epaulettes. You want to look similar to their pilots, but you also want to display a professional ‘business like’ image. If the airline does not wear a suit like uniform, you still need to maintain the suit and tie professional image. With the suit, wear a white collared shirt with a conservative yet professional looking tie. If you have problems tying a tie, don’t fake it. You are competing against some sharp candidates and need to look your very best. Get someone to tie your tie for you if need be.

TIP: Shoes are a very important part of your suit. Shine your black leather shoes, or if need be, buy some brand new ones. Like they say, shoes say a lot about a person. You should feel as though you look the best you ever have when you go to your interview. New shoes, new suit and tie can often make you feel that way. A small investment to potentially help you land a rewarding airline career.

TIP: Your suit will not look as sharp once you've driven to, and then walked into the building where your interview is to take place. Go to the washroom as soon as you get there and ensure everything looks just right - tighten your tie, tuck in your shirt again etc.

No, not normally. At the current time, no airlines (other than US Majors) require a degree as a minimum hiring requirement.  Some US Majors do require a degree, and most European carriers have a good look through your A Levels.  Remember this though......Education is a valuable asset and holding a degree does give you a small competitive edge on other candidates.

Unfortunately not. We tried this at one time, but found that airline recruitment people we’re trying to purchase the packages as much as the pilots. We could have sold them at that time, but maintained our vision of giving our pilot clients a competitive edge at the interview. Selling our packages to recruitment people, in our opinion, would not be in the best interest of our clients. We believe that knowing the questions ahead of time is only 1/10 of the battle. Answering these questions professionally to score the most points can make or break your career. This is where we get the most positive feedback on our Interview Prep Service – clients who already knew most of the questions, but who we’re impressed with our knowledge, insight, and direction in answering the questions.

TIP: If you have an upcoming interview, talk to as many people as you can who might know what they are currently asking their applicants. Write the questions out and figure out what you might say if they ask you the same thing. If you’re unsure of anything, or simply want to do well, think of using our Airline Interview Prep Service. Our clients' success record is excellent, and we take pride in being up-to-date with the airlines and their recruitment processes.

The sim-eval is an extremely important stage of some airlines’ recruiting process. It is essential that candidates display a high level of professionalism. This means that a suit and tie must be worn to the sim-eval. In fact, whenever you are completing a part of the recruitment process, the company is evaluating you and watching everything that you do with scrutiny. It can’t be emphasized enough that professional attire is a critical part of the process and any clothing that is below standard will undoubtedly diminish your chances of success with that airline.

In the sim-eval, the airlines are primarily concerned with your overall flying skills along with your ability to effectively use Crew Resource Management techniques. They are, under no circumstances, looking for the Chuck Yeager types with superior flying skills & inferior crew coordination. In fact, a pilot with moderate ‘hands and feet’ skills and excellent ‘CRM’ skills will score higher than an individual with excellent ‘hands and feet’, but very weak ‘CRM’ skills. General IFR knowledge is being tested on an operational level. Normally, you will not be asked IFR questions, however you will be required to display knowledge with respect to Airspeed Limitations, Holding and Approach requirements.

Simulator time is expensive. However, the pros can far outweigh the cons. Just be careful to ensure that the company/person you use to conduct your sim practice has a good understanding of the aircraft and your upcoming Sim profile. This will ensure that you come away with a better understanding of the simulator and the approaches/ departures you can expect on your evaluation.

TIP: Remember, some carriers do not use SimEvals to evaluate their applicants – therefore don’t rent the Sim unless you are hoping to land a career with a carrier who does.

Not every airline requires you to go through a company medical. The other carriers seem to be satisfied with a valid Category 1 Medical from Transport Canada. In regards to the co. medical exam, remember that on top of the Transport Canada requirements, they might test your blood for alcohol, drug use, and cholesterol. So be prepared and stay away from the booze for a few weeks prior to the exam. Also do your best to keep your cholesterol in the green arc. It would be a shame to not get hired at the end of a grueling interview process because of too many Big Macs and not enough exercise.

Some carriers like to give you a cognitive test, others a psychological test. It is difficult to study for either one – our suggestion is to never start an exercise in the cog. Test until you understand what is required. As far as the psychological testing, we recommend that you answer the similar sounding questions in a consistent manner.

The medical is also an extremely important stage of the recruiting process. At all times when dealing with the airline, candidates must display a high level of professionalism. This means that a suit and tie should be worn to the medical. At all times during the recruitment process, the company is evaluating you and watching everything that you do with scrutiny.

Like we mentioned earlier, our mandate is to help Pilots move forward in their flying careers. This is our area of expertise and all that we do. In answer to your question, although big-time ice hockey fans, we believe that they draw the names from a hat.